


I'm Right Here

by gaynfubar



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Drinking, F/F, Its all very gay, Lexa has massive big dick energy, They're gonna have lots of sex fyi, i don't know how to tag, lil bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-02 04:09:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16297886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaynfubar/pseuds/gaynfubar
Summary: Lexa is enjoying her life as a single woman, running a successful bar with her best friends. Clarke begins working at this bar, which starts endless amounts of flirtatious teasing. But since two women are on completely different paths, what will happen when they finally reach the tipping point?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So this is a story I've had in the works for a while now and I've finally pulled it together to start posting! I've stepped away from writing for a bit so excuse any errors. Hope you guys enjoy :) Let me know what you think so I'll know to continue it and what kind of storylines you'd like to see!

“What can I get ya?” Clarke wiped the damp cloth across the bar soaking up a concoction of spilt tequila shots, jack and cokes, and some apple cider.

“Two double rum and cokes,” the man leaned in so she could hear. The bartender pretended not to notice as the man’s eyes locked onto her cleavage, only rolling her eyes after she turned around to grab some glasses.

“Told ya,” her boss quipped from beside her, “Men can’t handle it.”

“And you can?” The blonde raised her eyebrow at her.

“She has a point, Lex.” Anya came barging through the swinging doors with a box of bottles.

“Do you wanna keep your job An?” 

“Uhm who else is going to restock the fridges? Nyko can’t be fucked, Lincoln always does them in the wrong order, and Clarke can’t possibly do it ‘cause you’d just stare at her ass all day and not get a single thing done,” Anya stated as a matter of factly.

 An ice cube came flying through the air and hit the box of booze Anya was putting down.

Clarke could only laugh as she topped off the two glasses with coke. She had struck gold landing a bartending job here at Grounders’ Den. Apparently, there were quite a few people who had applied but had not passed the probationary period. Clarke, on the other hand, quickly become part of their witty, sometimes crude, and often insulting sense of humour. Almost a year on, she still found herself feeling grateful as the banter made a tiring night shift actually pretty decent. 

At 3 am Lexa signalled for the DJ to end his set and begin kicking everyone out. In its prime location, the Den had steadily grown over the past 5 years. What had initially started out as a small local bar was now one of the best, and busiest, places to go on a Friday night. When the sandwich shop beside them closed down Lexa was quick to put down an offer. Grounder’s Den stayed open later and doubled in size, allowing them to bring in a proper DJ and a dance floor that opened up at midnight.

It was Saturday, well technically Sunday now, and the past two nights were what felt like the busiest they’ve ever had.

“Lincoln’s coming in at 11 tomorrow morning, so everyone else just be here by 2 please,” Lexa announced as they finished packing up.

A chorus of ‘thank yous’ and ‘goodnights’ ensued as Clarke stepped out into the chilly October night.

“Oh Clarke,” Lexa called after her. “We’ve got a trainee coming in tomorrow so take the day off, get some of your artwork done. Next week we’re staying late to plan the birthday party and I’m gonna need that creative mind of yours. That cool?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect thanks. ‘Night Lex!”

She zipped her coat up further and stuffed her hands into her pockets, stepping up the pace so she could get home faster.

Clarke opened the door to the mess that had been left behind in the rush to make her shift. The graphic designer had once again gotten carried away working on her current project; designing packaging for a start-up business. She had just begun college when she began promoting her own work and started securing commissions.

Clarke never did well in higher education; she found the assignments boring and unoriginal. Approval depended more on how well she could reference and cite her work, and she found herself comparing her work to others’ more than focusing on her own talent. So she quit, and prayed to the universe she would get some work as a freelancer. The Den had become a way to pay rent since her mom stopped helping her out after she dropped out.

Lexa and the crew were supportive of her work, often providing constructive criticism when asked. They also allowed her to move around shifts when she had a particularly stressful deadline coming up. At times it was hectic, but Clarke was enjoying it.

Having gotten to bed closer to 4 am, Clarke let herself sleep in and got up at noon. It was the Den’s 5 year anniversary this Friday, what Lexa had referred to as the ‘birthday party’. Clarke knew what kind of parties Lexa and Anya liked to throw, and knew that she was in for a busy week. She would have to devote the rest of the day to this project.

 

* * *

 

“Ooh, this is good,” Clarke hummed in pleasure. “Where’d you get it from?” she asked sipping a latte Lexa had just made them.

“Polis, the new coffee shop in town. I could take you there tomorrow?” the brunette shamelessly flirted. 

Clarke chuckled, “Or I could just come upstairs after work.”

“Weak attempt today Lex,” Anya said from the couches.

It had pretty much become a running joke for Lexa to ask the blonde out any time an opportunity came up. She had first asked her out a few weeks after they met, and Clarke had politely rejected her. Not many people did that, but Clarke had her reasons. Of course, this did nothing to curb Lexa's flirtatious teasing, but Clarke knew there was no real pressure or any harm coming from any of it. Lexa was like that to almost everyone. After a while it had just become an inside joke, and Anya only needed half a chance to tease her best friend.

“Hey, I tried,” Lexa shrugged as she joined the others. 

“Okay, back to business. We only have an hour ‘til we open so I wanna get this done. Tomorrow we’ll discuss decor, Wednesday we’ll do music, and Thursday we need everything either up or ready to be put in place for Friday. Now, what should we do about drink deals? Any suggestions?” Lexa brought their focus back to the reason they were all gathered in Lexa and Anya’s living room, which was a converted space above the bar. 

“The usual? Discounted beers, ciders and long drinks?” Anya proposed.  
“We could do punch bowls? Mix it up a bit?” Clarke said. 

“The more specials we do, the drunker people get. Maybe put out stuff to munch on? Pretzels or whatever?” Lincoln added.

“So more people I need to drag out.” Gustus sighed. He was head of security of Grounder’s Den, in charge of hiring bouncers and making sure they were always covered.

“Pfft, you love your job don’t you? All the soggy, puke-stained clothes, the-”

Anya was cut off when the giant of a man reached out to grab at her.

“Children, settle down!” Lexa smacked Gustus’ hand away before continuing.

“Those sound great guys. It’s quite a lot, but hey it’s the Den’s birthday so whatever. Linc, do you have the list of deals we’ve done before? Think we should change it up a bit?”

“Yep, got it right here.”

The five of them quickly decided on prices for Friday night before getting ready to open. They only opened for brunch on weekends, so today they began prepping for the dinner rush. Gustus and Lincoln had gone downstairs to set up tables, leaving the three women in charge of re-checking inventory and making sure fridges were stocked. Clarke went to pick up the inventory clipboard off the kitchen counter when her eyes saw were drawn to something that made her do a double take.

Lexa had left her door half open, unashamed of who she was. And rightfully so. She had pulled her top off, arms raised above her head to reveal her toned back. She turned her body and Clarke managed just a glance of chiselled abs before she whipped her head back around and hoped that Lexa hadn’t noticed.

Sure, Clarke was unopposed to being with another woman, she never denied it when people called her bisexual. But this was still uncharted territory. And after her previously toxic relationship, it wasn’t something she wanted to explore at the moment. She pushed the thought out of her head and rushed downstairs to start working.

For the majority of dinner, Lincoln took over the bar and Clarke stepped in as a waitress. Lexa was a fabulous cook, and after her friends urged her to expand the menu she hired a few young chefs and taught them her recipes.

They didn’t stay open as late on most weekdays so by the time 10 pm came around, the crowd had dwindled down to mostly college students and the occasional stressed business person. Food was no longer being served so Clarke returned to the bar.

“Do you think she’ll ever settle down?” Lincoln said as Anya appeared from the kitchen, nodding towards the left corner of the bar. 

Two more heads turned towards that direction to see their boss blatantly hitting on some woman. She was about the same height as Lexa, average build with blonde hair. The woman’s laugh sounded exaggerated as she took a step closer to the brunette.

“Nope, no fucking way,” Anya chuckled.

“God she’s so annoying, how’s she so good at that,” the tattooed man grunted as they watched Lexa bring her conversation with the woman to one of the booths. 

Clarke had always been impressed by Lexa's confidence and could easily see how people found it charming. Not only was she a successful 27 year old who had set up and built her own business, but she was also one of the kindest, most generous person Clarke had ever come across. She cared deeply for her friends, always treated people right, and looking the way she does, it’s no surprise she could get nearly anyone to go home with her. Of course, some people always liked to comment on the way she led her life, but those people didn’t know her and therefore they didn’t really matter.

But what did Clarke think? Was Clarke jealous? No. (A bit). Did  _she_  want to sleep with Lexa? Not really. (Probably). What Clarke knew was that she found Lexa absolutely captivating, intrigued by what drives her but also what makes her crumble. She wanted to know what was below the good looks and smooth talk. For that reason, Clarke didn’t want to be just another one of those women who took as much as she could from their one lucky encounter with Lexa. She’d never admit it but she liked Lexa from the moment they met on her first shift.

Clarke was still trying to figure it all out. It wasn’t a matter of ‘I slept with my boss,’ Clarke knew Lexa had been with Anya several times. It was more of a personal rather than a professional issue. She enjoyed having Lexa as a friend and didn’t want anything to change that. And considering how much of a mess Clarke’s life had been when they first met, Clarke didn’t know how well she’d be able to handle herself. And so she had just chosen to push it aside and avoid it all, well at least she tried to.

 

* * *

 

**-Friday-**

 

“UP LINCOLN UP!” Clarke yelled from below.

They were hanging up banners and a couple pieces of art Clarke had done up in celebration of Grounders’ Den’s 5th birthday.

“Clarke they look amazing, you really didn’t have to do this for us,” from the subtle scent of cinnamon Clarke could already tell who it was.

“Thanks, Lex. They didn’t take too long, plus I’ve been wanting to draw more nature-y things. So far all I’ve been looking at are mugs and plates.” 

They weren’t opening for a few more hours but they had a lot to prepare for the party tonight. They managed to get local DJ Wicks in for tonight and were expecting a big crowd. Nyko had even called in a couple more people just in case things got too rowdy.

A couple hours into the shift, Clarke was busy serving up rounds of long island iced teas and rum punches when someone shouting brought a smile to her face.

“CLARKEY!”

Two brunettes pushed their way through the crowd and emerged at the side of the bar.

“Okay quick question, what time did you guys start drinking?” Clarke asked as she continued making cocktails.

“It was noon somewhere,” Raven slurred, the bartender shaking her head in amusement.

“Hey, it’s my day off, leave us alonee,” Octavia whined.

“How about a  _single_  G&T for now?” Clarke made her way over, being that annoying bartender who was always prioritising her friends. But hey, she’d do anything for these girls.

“When do you get off then?” Raven asked, slightly less drunk than the other girl.

“Yeaah, come join us Clarke!”

“Hopefully by 2, depends on the crowd,” Clarke handed them their drinks and quickly shooed them away so she could get back to work.

Her shift went by quickly. Everyone was having a blast, especially Lexa. The rest of them had secretly agreed to let Lexa off by midnight. As expected, Lexa didn’t want them to have to cover for her so they were forced to kick their boss out and made her promise to come back down in something other than her uniform.

What Clarke hadn’t expected, was for her to return in  _that_. The plunging top had a tight fit and was paired with skinny black jeans. Clarke was sure she was wearing a bodysuit. Lexa had let her hair down, leaving only a few braids in, and as she walked under the light her tanned skin glowed.

Clarke turned back to the crowd and shook her head to get the woman out of her mind. Focus, Clarke, focus.

A frustrated looking Gustus ran right past the bar towards who knows what and Clarke reached out to stop a glass from toppling over. Poor guy, Clarke thought. The crowd was far from thinning but enough people had left that Lincoln told Clarke she could be done for the night. Slightly jealous from watching her best friends (and boss) dance all night, Clarke didn’t argue as she went to the back to get changed. She took off her top, switching it for a simple blue tank top.

The moment she sat down, her best friends placed three shot glasses in front of her.

“Time to catch the fuck up Clarke!” Raven tipped a green bottle upside down and filled the glasses, although just as much ended up on the table as well. 

Jaeger wasn’t as lethal as tequila, so she shrugged her shoulders and knocked each one back. After an exhausting week, Clarke didn’t need another reason to get drunk and have fun. Several, and my several she meant  _many_ , drinks later the three girls had found their way onto the dance floor and were moving without a care in the world.

“Hey Clarke,” Octavia had to yell above the pounding music.

“That girl over there has been staring at you for the past like hour,” she nodded towards the corner of the room.

Clarke unsubtly looked over, confused at who she should be looking at. It didn’t take long for her to find out. A tall, athletic woman caught her eye and smiled at her. With alcohol coursing through her veins, her mind was fuzzy and she enjoyed the attention. Well, that was her excuse. It was also a good distraction from the person dancing not too far away who had been on her mind ever since she came down in the fucking top.

“Live a little Clarke,” Raven bumped her shoulder against Clarkes, wagging her eyebrow. This earned Raven a slap on the shoulder.

“It’s not like I’m gonna go home with her or anything though.”

“Who cares. Dance with her, it’ll make Lexa jealous, ” Raven said with a cheeky grin. They shared everything with each other, and for god knows what reason, they loved to tease Clarke about Lexa.

“Yeah, so you go on over, and I’ll take Raven to get a closer look at that hot DJ she’s been staring at for the past 50 years.”

Before Clarke could interject, her two friends gave her a gentle shove in the direction of the woman and were making steady progress through the crowd towards the DJ booth.

Now alone on the dance floor, Clarke shook her head and debated her next move. Sober Clarke would have walked away, but she was over 10 units in and couldn’t make up her mind. In the end, she didn’t need to.

“Hey.”  
Clarke turned around a little too quickly and ended up stumbling forwards straight into the woman.

“Shit, sorry. Drunk, I’m drunk.”

The woman laughed, “Do you need help, Drunk?”

Clarke found her balance and looked up to find kind eyes and a gentle smile. 

“Wow.”  _Shit, did I just say that out loud?_

“Thanks? I hope,” the woman chuckled.  _Well done Clarke._

“Sorry I just saw you from over there and figured I’d come over. I can go if that's weird though,” the woman said.

She was fit, kind, and her hand was resting on Clarke’s back. Clarke chose to welcome the warmth. 

“I’m Clarke,” she tip-toed to meet the woman’s height.

“Niylah,” the woman replied, “I’m about to get a drink, care to join me?”

The shorter blonde was taken by the hand towards the bar and she did her best not to stumble. 

“Would you like a drink?” Niylah asked.

Clarke’s expression and slurred response told her enough.

“Vodka shot, please," Niylah told the bartender.

Clarke watched Lincoln pour the shot, raising his eyebrows at her when they made eye contact.

“On the house,” Lincoln said placing the glasses in front of them.

“I work here,” Clarke clarified when she saw the confused look on the woman’s face. 

The two women danced together, barely an inch between them. Hands were roaming and Clarke felt her heart beat faster as she felt Niylah’s warm breath against her ear. They were drunk and they were sweaty. Clarke missed this. It had been over a year since she had been so close to someone, even if it was a stranger. She had always been an affectionate person but began shying away after her last ex dumped her. There had been a couple dates here and there, but she wasn’t really looking for anything. Art became her world and was all she focused on. Dancing in someone’s arms brought waves of emotion over her. There was a mix of joy and apprehension, like she had taken a break from sugar and had just indulged in some ice cream. She craved the feeling of intimacy yet feared it all at once.

When the heat became too much, they moved over to a quieter place.

“How’s your night been Clarke?”

“Not gonna lie, I don’t normally go off with strangers. But I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Staying on the dance floor had sobered her up ever so slightly and now she wondered what to do. She also had no idea where the fuck Octavia and Raven were.

“Well I’m glad I didn’t scare you off. But I take it you’re not coming over after this then?”

Clarke’s must’ve had an apologetic look on her face because Niylah just smiled.

“Don’t worry, I came out here with some friends for a chilled night and it's been better than expected already. Why don’t we look for our friends then I’ll head off.”

God this woman was so kind. Clarke attracted all kinds of people and she was thankful Niylah was one of the good ones. The pair walked around the perimeter of the bar, eyes scanning the place. Niylah spotted her friends seated at a booth but insisted on staying 'til Clarke found hers.

When they were nowhere to be seen, Clarke pulled out her phone and saw that they had left half a dozen messages saying they’d gone home and for Clarke to “get in.”

“They’ve gone home.”

“Oh, can I get a cab for you then?” 

“No its alright, you’re too kind. I was planning on staying after with the staff anyways. Thanks though.”

“Here,” Niylah plucked her phone from her hands, “call me if you want, I had a great time Clarke. You’re gorgeous by the way.” 

Clarke felt soft lips kiss her cheek before the taller woman walked away. 

She was still trying to figure out what just happened as she made her way to the back room. She texted her friends to check if they had gotten home safe.

Looking at the time she saw there were only 15 minutes before they’d start shooing people out. They planned to have some drinks after close so she figured it’d be best to get some water down her otherwise she probably wouldn't make it

As she took a seat by her locker she heard someone else come in.

“Good time?” it was Anya.

“I’ve not been that drunk in a while.”

“What happened to that hottie you were with?”

“Think she's still outside, to be honest.”

“Well, don’t sober up too much, you’re still celebrating with us after right? After partying in our living room!”

She knew from the look on Anya's face that they were in for a big night.

By the time Gustus had finished doing his checks and locking up, the rest were gathered upstairs. a tray of shot glasses had been set up, each filled to the brim with Anya's favourite drink.

“Fuuckk, really An? Were starting with tequila?” Nyko groaned.

“Doors are locked, were closed for the next 36 hours and we've got all our pillows and blankets out for yall to pass out on. Time to get fucked up,” she placed the tray on the coffee table as everyone else settled down around it.

Gus had gone home, understandably, Nyko was splayed out on one seat, Lincoln and Anya were on beanbags, which left Clarke a space on the couch beside Lexa.

As she settled into her seat, there were so many things running through her fuzzy mind. Tequila shots and Lexa still in that damn top. What could possibly happen?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late (and shorter) update. I've been ill and not functional at all. I'm almost better now so decided to get this part up. It has been quickly finished up and edited so forgive me for any mistakes. Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. If you'd like to write smut for/with me then hmu bcs I haven't written that part yet and I'm high key kinda busy for the next little while :/

Clarke was balancing the line between drunk enough to be everyone’s best friend but not enough that she’d topple over every time she stood up.

Lexa could handle her alcohol, but even she was creeping near the line of so drunk she’d just hit the floor if she had to stand up.

Things had progressed steadily since the first round of shots. A couple hours in, they were now through the first bottle and had toned it down to whisky cokes. It seemed like it would somewhat slow things down, but the group made up for the addition of a mixer with the speed in which they drank them.

“Starting with Clarke, name Premier League teams, first one to stop or repeats an answer has to finish their drink.” Clarke had introduced them to Piccolo, a drinking game on was a ruthless game.

Clarke started, “ Manchester United?”

“Man City,” Lexa said next.  
  
“Spurss,” Lincoln slurred.

“West Ham?” Anya guessed

“North Ham?” Gustus guessed wildly.

“There is no North Ham you dumbass,” Lincoln laughed.

“How the fuck am I meant to know that? I don’t even watch soccer!” He argued but took the drink in his hand anyway.  
  
They watched him down the drink with ease.

“Right, in about 20 minutes that last drink is going to hit me and I’m probably going to be immobile so I’m gonna go get some blankets now.” The big man stood up and Lincoln followed him just in case he did fall and take down a wall with him.

“Scoot,” Anya had gotten sick of the beanbag and gestured for Clarke to move over so she could join them on the sofa.

Lexa looked at Anya, searching her eyes to see if the older woman was up to something.

It was barely 30 seconds before the trio felt something soft but heavy drop straight onto their heads.

“Blankets for everyone!” Clarke cheered, grabbing onto the edge and pulling it closer to her chin. God Lexa thought she looked so cute.

“Where’s Gus?” Lexa asked noticing his absence.

“Passed out on the floor. Sorry An, you’re gonna have to deal with his snoring tonight.”

The woman groaned, regretting leaving the pillows and blankets in her room.

“Its 6 am guys, I say we put on some Modern Family and hope we pass out before the sun comes up?” Lexa suggested.

“Sounds good, I’ll get the water,” Anya volunteered. Lexa was glad her friends had somewhat grown up. It was only a year ago where she’d find Lincoln and Anya passed out on the living room floor, both with beers in hand. She’d then have to spend the next day dealing with their hungover moaning and groaning.

She shimmied back into the plush cushions, moving the blanket around until it felt right. The episode had started but Lexa could no longer focus on the tv. As she had shuffled to get comfy, apparently so had Clarke, who now had her head resting on her shoulder and her elbow resting a little too far up her thigh. Lexa looked at Clarke, who was simply smiling at the TV. The woman had no idea what she was doing to her.

Lexa turned her eyes back to the TV but her mind couldn’t seem to stray from the blonde beside her. Every time Clarke laughed, shifted (thankfully moving her arm) or fixed her hair Lexa would catch a whiff of her sweet perfume. Despite Clarke occasionally teasing Lexa and her flirtatious comments, she still had denied her and so she would respect that. She wouldn’t do anything Clarke didn’t want to.

With her mind occupied, Lexa didn’t realise Lincoln had disappeared until Anya spoke up. “I’m gonna go find that idiot before he throws up on my shit.”

“Do the guys always crash here when you throw parties?” Clarke watched Anya stumble past the couch and towards the bedrooms.

 _Gosh her eyes are so blue._ “Yeah, mostly. Normally Anya and I share a bed and leave those stinky boys to decide between bed and sofa.”

A grunt and low thud took their attention away as they both looked to see if anyone would appear at the door to ask for help.

When no one showed, Lexa continued the conversation. “If he’s not too drunk Lincoln would head home sometimes. Gus is always too lazy… Clarke? Clarke, hello?”

“Shit sorry, yeah, it’s- I’m gonna blame the drunk brain.”

“What were you thinking about?”

Lexa had leaned forward and Clarke’s drunken mind only took about 2 seconds to zone out, realising how close she was sitting to the other woman, “Um, nothing just distracted.”

Lexa noticed Clarke’s cheeks turning pink.

“What was distracting you?”

“You,” Clarke swallowed. In that outfit.”

Okay, Lexa did not expect that. Not one bit.

  
Clarke didn't know what came over her. It came flying out of her mouth before she could tell it to stop. Shit.

At her confession, Lexa smirked. God that smug look irritated Clarke almost as much as it turned her on.

“God, why’d I say that, it's not like you need any more encouragement.” Clarke rolled her eyes.

“Um hey? Ya think watching _you_ in t _h_ at top, dancing with that woman didn’t have my attention?” Lexa challenged.

“And here I am, meant to believe you weren’t busy with someone else?” Clarke chuckled.

“Ask Anya, I may have been ever so slightly jealous,” Lexa shrugged.  
“You were?”  
“Who the fuck wouldn’t be? Have you seen yourself, Clarke?”

Clarke was speechless. Completely and utterly lost for words. She felt her body start to tingle, unsure if it was from the compliment, from who it came from, or from the way she said it just so matter of factly. Clarke didn’t know.

She had never had this kind of reaction before and it made her so damn nervous. Not because Lexa has never spoken to her like that, no, she does it all the time. Not because their bodies were touching, she’s clung onto Lexa during a horror movie before. Not even because she felt like she wanted to be even closer to her. But maybe because this time, she didn’t want to fight it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next bit should be up within a week <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys like it so far! I'm still unsure if I'll be writing smut chapters, but hey ho we'll see. Thanks for reading xx


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